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A Ukrainian woman who survived a catastrophic cluster munition attack in 2014 continues to navigate the complex aftermath of severe combat-related injuries, highlighting the long-term humanitarian consequences of explosive ordnance use in populated areas.

Nelya Leonidova, 34 at the time of the incident, sustained life-threatening polytrauma when submunitions detonated near a recreational area in Zugres, a town situated between Donetsk and Luhansk.

The attack occurred on August 13, 2014, when Leonidova was retrieving her four-year-old son Elizar and a neighbor’s child from a kindergarten facility.

The family had stopped at a local beach when cluster munitions began impacting the area, creating a dispersal pattern typical of such weapons systems.

In an instinctive protective response, Leonidova positioned herself over the children as the submunitions detonated, absorbing the majority of the fragmentation damage.

Medical Trauma

According to the Report, the extent of Leonidova’s injuries was initially considered incompatible with life by medical personnel at two hospitals.

She sustained massive craniofacial trauma, including complete orbital destruction, mandibular fractures, cranial penetration, thoracic perforation affecting pulmonary tissue, and extensive abdominal injuries.

Medical staff at the Donetsk military hospital initially classified her as “cargo 200” military terminology for deceased personnel and transferred her to the morgue facility.

However, Leonidova regained consciousness among the deceased, leading to immediate emergency medical intervention.

Following her recovery from the morgue, she underwent extensive surgical procedures during a months-long coma period.

The medical team performed 18 separate fragment extraction procedures, partial intestinal resection, and comprehensive reconstructive surgery.

Her current medical status includes the permanent loss of one eye, limited visual field in the remaining eye, and structural facial support provided by ten titanium plates secured with thirty surgical screws.

The children she protected sustained comparatively minor injuries superficial lower extremity lacerations for the female child and a retained fragment in the male child’s shoulder requiring subsequent specialized extraction in Kharkiv.

The projectile had lodged between neural and tendinous structures, causing progressive limb dysfunction until successful removal.

Post-Conflict Displacement

Following the 2022 escalation of hostilities, Leonidova relocated her family from the Kharkiv region to Kolomyia, demonstrating the cyclical nature of conflict-related displacement in Ukraine.

Her personal account describes persistent neuropathic pain, psychological adjustment challenges, and ongoing social integration difficulties related to her altered physical appearance.

The survivor’s narrative reveals the intersection of medical trauma with socioeconomic vulnerability.

During the initial recovery period, the family subsisted on humanitarian assistance, including Red Cross food and medical support cards, while managing housing costs against minimal pension income and displaced person allowances totaling 2,400 hryvnias.

Leonidova’s testimony provides insight into the psychological dimensions of severe trauma recovery, describing emotional numbness, spatial disorientation, and the gradual process of psychological reconstruction.

Her account emphasizes the inadequacy of conventional psychological support systems for addressing combat-related trauma, noting that standard therapeutic approaches failed to address the unique challenges posed by her experience.

The case illustrates broader patterns of civilian vulnerability to indiscriminate weapons systems and the long-term humanitarian consequences of explosive ordnance use in populated areas, while demonstrating individual resilience in the face of catastrophic trauma.

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